Route Info – From Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur) to Laos (Boten)

This time round there was not much motivation for me to explore in Malaysia even though I had started the journey. I went straight for Cameron Highlands looking for cool weather retreat a few days and checked into a cosy hostel to run some routes and planning check again.

For some reason, I make plans and decision best on the road in unfamiliar hostel. I had always love Cameron Highlands for some reason. The mountains has a special call to me that just being there makes the soul smile. Beach are nice but mountains are nicer.

After a few days just lazing around going from one tea place to another it was time to move on. I packed up and went straight to the Thailand border. 

This time around I would cross into Betong a new part of Thailand which I had yet to explore which makes it a great starting and warm up breaking the monotonous ride up north through mostly places that I had visited before.

The route I took this time round was almost 70% a repeat of the previous journey in 2018 with Bluey but there were some new spots along the way.

Route Info - Malaysia to Thailand to Cambodia to Thailand to Laos to China 

Betong to Yala to Hatyai
- A New Route on the most southern part of Thailand

Hatyai to Krabi to Phuket
- A repeated route always to visit cuz in Phuket

Phuket to Laem Son National Park to Hua Hin
- A new National Park to explore but mostly a mad dash covering crazy distance all the way to Hua Hin

Hua Hin
- Usual pit stop to service bike on the way up

Hua Hin to Bangkok
- A repeated route along the coast and salt farms

Bangkok to Chantaburi (Chao Lao Beach)
- Going Through more simple uninteresting roads to skip Chon Buri & Rayong

Chao Lao Beach to Pailin (Cambodia)
- Another mindless dash to the Border so I can Gamble at the Border Casino for a few days

Pailin to Siam Reap to O’Smach
- A repeated route chilling and passing time in Cambodia

O’Smach to Roi Et to Phetchabun
- New Road but Repeated Destination

Phetchabun to Phu Hin Rong Kla National Park to Pa Daeng Sub District
- New Route through remote nature.

Pa Daeng Sub District to Lamphang to Chaing Mai
- New Route & New Destination and for the purpose of celebrating Thailand New Year (Songkran) in Chaing Mai

Chiang Mai to Mae Hong Son Loop (Salawin River Detour + Ban Rak Thai Detour )
- Another run at Mae Hong Son Loop but this time through the north burning season which was horrible

Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai to Chiang Khong
- A repeated route with familiar destination revisiting same tourist sights.

Chiang Khong to Huay Xai to Luang Namtha to Boten
- A regular route to China

A Little Break with a Little Errend

Flying back to KL, the mini adventure that started on November 2023 ended. It was a good run backpacking through China then continuing with a bikepacking through Vietnam. I had practially no choice but to go home by Feb 2024. There was a few crucial things that needed to be done.

Firstly it was to be back home for Chinese New Year. While I had skip this important family gathering previously, there was no reason to skip it since I had to be back during this time anyway. 

A picture of Me & My Niece Back in 2020 where COVID-19 was still restricting travels. 

Meeting family and friends catching up it was a good mini holiday from my holiday. A different type of feeling and one that had two types of stories everyone was trying to extract from me.

How as your trip and whats the next trip ? This was generally the questions asked.

After CNY I bassicly had to run a few errends.

1. Apply Visa for China

Slogging through the endless forms to fill for China Visa application then making an appointment at the Visa Center, this was the most important errend of all. Everything else I did in between but this was the key.

2. Tune up Bragge.

The top Cam shaft had a leaking oil seal so I had to get back to the dealership to fix it since it was still under waranty. Then it was a modification of the spokret ratio and chain. I change up the ratio to 15-41-428 instead of the original 13-38-520. 

Bike Jargon I know to most people, so the basic principle was that I made the bike faster by sacrificing power. I could now cruise at a higher top speed but climbing steep slopes would be slow with lesser torque.

3. Shopping & Packing up.

This time round I had new side pannier bags that I successfully shopped in Vietnam. My friend helped me carry it back since he had more carry on capacity that me and after meeting up during CNY I now had a new toy. 

I did much shopping as well buying sleeping mat, side jack, food container, canned food, and all sort of stuff to be packed for the long Central Asia road trip.

While I did No.2 and No.3 in between the process of obtaining No.1, I can say that effectively once I gotten the Visa for China, I had hit the road a few days later effectively starting the trip for a long long journey.

Traveled on: Feb 2024

Kota Kinabalu – The end of the break ...

Last stop before home. Somewhere around Sabah near Sukau when I was somehow riding somewhere off trail for a daytrip I got a call from my last boss asking if I was available to come back to SG as he gotten a new job. With bad reception in the jungle I told him I’ll call back in a few days time. On thing led to another very fast but mostly it was me looking at my bank balance that told me it was time to make way home and go back to zombie mode.

The view of KK from Kokol Hills 

So here I am finishing the loop in Sabah back in Kota Kinabalu. To be frank, KK would be a totally hit and miss for me being just like another city which I would have never bother to really immerse myself into, since I was in the last leg, travel fatigue and also slightly in denial that the trip is coming to an end.

By fate, as I was posting Bluey photos in the Demak D7 facebook group while travelling, I got hit up by some guy in Sabah that was also riding a Demak D7. Quite rare for D7 to be around really so with that DM on the web it was quite hard not to meet up for a coffee.

A coffee and a long chat end up with a invitation to ride for the next day. I had never really ride in a group before, a tail or two while in Thailand with other random tourist that I met along the way sure, but not in a group like setting that one see on TV like bike gangs. They brought me from central KK waterfront to Kokol Hills. If I were to describe it, it would be like KL people bringing people up Genting Highlands only this was a little shorter and the view of KK going up was amazing.

The Guys bringing Bluey & me for a ride 

Pit Stop Mamak Stall at Kokol Hills 

The Gang

Seams to be a local only know how as well since I did not see much information about Kokol Hill so I guess its a Riding Spot. Ride with a fellow D7 ... the rest was of other cafe racer bikes but I guess we D7 are a rare sort.

The only other Demak D7 that I have met throughout the whole Journey. 

Traveled On: Sep 2019

Tawau & Meliau Basin

I rode to Tawau from Semporna which was an easy and short ride, went around riding around town and I guess the long time of travelly is finally eating into the lazy time soul.

I cant say much about Tawau really, it looks like there are things to be discovered but its one of those town that dont really attracts tourist at all, not even those transit type. Anyway one night was all I spend before heading the next day to camp at the Meliau Basin reserch center.

Tawau Watefront Monument

Tawau - Keningau Road 

I took the Tawau-Keningau road which was really nothing in between and a road that cuts through the dense rainforest silently quiet I barely even see another vehicle. Half way mark was Meliau Basin conservation Area and I stopped there for the night.

The Meliau Basin also known as the Borneo’s Lost World is not really a tourist stop per say but more or a research camp area that has some facilities for people for whatever reason they have to hang around. Camp grounds was the most expensive I ever had at RM 50 pernight just to pitch my own tent. More expensive than even a Hotel in Tawau actually.

Maliau Basin Entrance 

3D Model of the Maliau Basin

Main Registration Area of Maliau Basin

Entry into the actual conservation Basin itself is not possible without a pre-arrange guide. But there was a small trail one could do on their own which has an amazing canopy walk devoid of any humans. I walked that small trek of course and realized that even with guide, this was no simple jungle walk but one that would need to bush-whack a path into the rainforest.

Talking to some of the research staff at the main research station told me that this area mostly only for high level research facilities due to its untouch and rich biodiversity. While the base camp which is just outside the basin (its where I pitch my tent to camp) is actually built as a gateway stop and with its basic facilities other would book the area as host to team building activities by companies or schools.

Camp Grounds at Meliau Basin

Mini Trek at Maliau Basin base camp

The Main River flowing out from Meliau Basin

Sky Canopy Walk - Meliau Basin

Leftover Notes of some Corperate Team Building event at Meliau Basin Base Camp. 

One night was all I could afford to camp in Maliau Basin and off again through the Tawau-Kenningau road towards Kota Kinabalu. One thing I realized was that there was almost no petrol stataion between Tawau and Kenningau. Its a long way too and for the first time in a long time I started to worry on fuel rationing. Base on calculation I should reach the first Petrol Station somewhere close to Nabawan. I missed the petrol station and made a back turn cocking my head a few times to make sure I was seeing correctly. Old retro Petrol HUT was more like it.

Petrol Station / Hut at Nabawan

Fill up by the Liters - Nabawan 

Traveled on: Sep 2019

Lahad Datu and Semporna

I stopped at Lahad Datu for a few days to replenish on WIFI access to do some onwards research. Initially I wanted to try visiting a few conservation area such as the Danum Valley Conservation Area or even just take a ride going off the main road and maybe visit the tip of the nose of Sabah but in the end I just ended up riding around downtown Lahad Datu before heading to Semporna.

Lahad Datu

You need a Permit to go to Danum Valley Conservation Area ... Could not get one last minute ..

Lahad Datu area felt different than the rest of Malaysia. While sleepy town and retirement area in Malaysia has some sense of serene in it, this place felt different, not sleepy yet isolated but not in a bad way nor in a good way either. I could not really place a mark on Lahad Datu and I probabaly spend too short a time there to make any conclusion, however I can safely say it is really for the true nature lover with all the surrounding wildlife reserve area that are 100 times larger than Lahad Datu itself.

Main Market at Lahad Datu

Lahad Datu Seaside Township 

Lahad Datu Kwan Im Temple

Onwards to Semporna the gateway town to the sipadan island where most tourist go stright from KK airport to hop onto the island for diving. I, basicly stayed at Semporna a few days talking to travellers in the hostel that passing by to get on a boat onwards to their diving trip. Expensive hobby and not one I would like to pick up anytime soon. Still with many tourist in this remote part of Malaysia means cheap hostels and more ammenities.

Semporna 

Traveled on : Sep 2019

Sukau Sandipao & Goamatang Caves

Leaving Sandakan, I took the main Kinabatangan Road (AH150) or Route 13 down south not heading towards Lahad Datu. Not far Kinabatangan River, which is the second longest river in Malaysia, I did a detour towards Goamatang Caves.

The caves itself is massive and very dark. Going deeper in alone is really not advisable for all the caves in Malaysia so as usual I just went in as far as the sunshine could guide me. Caves like these in the Borneo region tend to be farmed as natural resources. Traditional Chinese medicine such as birdnest or even Bat Guano seams to be very valuable to the local as an income.

Goamatang Caves 

Guano Everywhere - The Smell is no Joke 

Goamatang Caves 

Goamatang Caves Network

I talked to some locals hanging around the caves and they told me most Caves in Sabah are owned by families. Its a bit grey in this sense since they dont have legal ownership papers but as with all land issues with arboriginal settles in Borneo, the claim to heritage land can be a messy and ugly item. Each year, the rights to the management of the caves is rotated within the large family memebers (can be the whole village) and they employ their own family members within the village to harvest the resources in the caves.

The sales and proceeds of that year would go to the lucky guy that holds the rotataion of that year which is also resposible to manage the caves harvesting season, how much to harvest, how many people to employ and so on. Seams like a very interesting micro social economics where if one greedy idiot deceided to decimate the caves during his turn, the rest of the family in line would suffer. Still it was interesting talk with the locals.

From Goamatang Cave, I decided to head further into Sukau where I heard there was some homestays by the Kinabatangan River. The main goal was to somehow visit the many wildlife sancturary along the Kinabatangan River which I was still unsure if it was feasible coz most wildlife reserve in Malaysia is actually not a tourism spot but just a protected area.

I found Sukau Sandipao which is built on the opposite side of the Kinabatangan River. The chearful owner assured me that Bluey would be well taken care off at the parking lot and he took me on his boat across the river to the homestay hut. Hand built by the Father of 7 kids ... he built one hut each for the kid as a holiday home and investment for tourism. By chance I was refered by a friend of a friend ... and the only way to find him is by google map and a phone number as at that time he was still not on any booking platform. +6013 4311312 

Sukau Sandipau Stay - Opposite Kinabatangan River 

There is not much things to do really at Sukau, but the main goal was achived for each day they would take out the mini boat and ferry tourist on a Kinabatangan River Tour. Price was really up to negotiating skills but main idea is to share a boat with more people for the cost of running the boat is the same weather its one tourist or 10 tourist.

Sukau Sandipau Huts 

Sunset Along Kinabatanagan River 

Up the main Kinabatangan River then offshoot to the smaller river inlet open up a very dense virgin Borneo Forest. The experience is not something I am sure how to describe but it was serene and beautiful but at the same time eerie to frightening that I would not wan to be tracking this forest even as a group.

Offshoot from Kinabatangan River

Makak Monkeys 

More Monkeys 

Wildlife was abundant everywhere along the river edge and we saw many monkeys, makak monkeys, proboscis monkeys, and even a wild boar with a long nose and tusk that run so fast before anyone of us could take a photo. Talking to the Sandipao owner, they told me sometimes for the more adventurous, they would organize a 3 days Kinabatangan Tour upstream. Bring some stuff and go up stream deep into the wild life sanctuary and then camp 1 night in the wild and 1 night in a Orang Asli Village before heading back. The cost however would be large and would need to be arrange in advance. Not for the faint hearted they say ... but it is definately a one if a kind experience.

Sunset along Kinabatangan River 

Traveled on : Sep 2019

Repairing Bluey in Ranau & Hot Springs

Ranau was a like a nice hilltop town, with many ammenities and possibility to find workshop and a place where people from Kundasang goes to run minor errends which they dont need to go all the way back down to the main city KK. Hence I spend one day going to all the motorcycle shop trying to fix up the front fork suspension which was leaking on the left side. Pretty sure I notice it when I rode to Kudat but 300km later in Ranau was the time I decided to do something about it.

Ranau - Sabah

Ranau - Sabah

Supprisingly there was a lot of motorcycle shop and from the looks of their spareparts stockpile and the number of unfinished custom bikes lingering around, I could tell that there was a lot of custom modification bikes in Ranau. Good place for Bluey to be fixed for unless it was those crazy custom mechanics, doubt they would know how to handle even a simple thing like Front Fork Oil Seal for they wont know if they had the parts until they strip it which was bad.

I enquire on the net for the type of oil seal and got a reply fairly quickly from the facebook Demak D7 group. Original front fork oil seal size was 31 x 43 x 10.3. With that information, it was more easier to establish the repair method. I went from one workshop to another asking if they had the part and all the biggest and baddest workshop in Ranau said nope, sorry dont have that size. They had all the others but not that one. Friendly as they were, one workshop refer me to another big workshop but alas all did not have the right oil seal size.

The Last Oil Seal for Bluey 

Servicing Bluey at Ranau

Fork Servicing for Bluey in Ranau

Fork Servicing for Bluey in Ranau

I had more or less given up hope and went to get laundry done. While waiting, I decided to explore the few shops in this new area where the coin laundy was located. Walk into a really small motor shop and ask the lady for the oil seal with the size given. I did not place much hope actually expecting a negetive answer so while she was looking for the size, I was brousing the few stickers they sold.

This one ka ? But dun have 10.3 have 10.5

Dafaq, really ....

I verify the size and according to online advice, it was the inner and outer diameter that was most important and the height a little diff should still be ok. OK I said, Change, both fork ...

The girl proceeded to find the pair but came out short. That peice was the last peice the shop had. The last peice in the whole of Ranau. What chance. I got the fork serviced and change the one faulty oil seal and it was time to leave Ranau the next day for Sandakan.

In terms of things to do in Ranau, I really did not do much other than go to the Poring Hot Spring for a bath and visit the Sabah Tea Plantation. Laziness is surely starting to set in.

Sabah Tea Plantation - Ranau

Sabah Tea Plantation - Ranau

Offroading around Orchards in Ranau

Poring Hot Springs is free to enter with nicely done up public pools which draws the waters from the natural hot springs. Cool mountain weather with lovely hot springs was like a heavenly match and I would think nearly every one in Ranau and Kundasang would make a monthly picnic trip to the springs. This I observe base on the special extra large drain suction plug each of the family brings with them to plug up pools in the hut. I of course have to patiently wait for the very very few plugs that are free and workable.

Poring Hot Springs in Ranau

Open Common Hot Spring Pool 

Poring Public Pool which is like a private bathtub ... Bring Large Suction Cup Drain Plug for best experience - Ranau

Traveled on: Sep 2019

Sandakan City, Lubuk Proboscis Monkey Sactuary, Sun Bear Conservation Center and Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Center

From Ranau I made a long ride all the way to the city of Sandakan. There was really not much to stop and look along the way hence the decision. Lovely ride with pure tarmac all the way still.  

Sandakan - Malaysia

Sandakan city felt like any other municipality city in malaysia other than KL. Sleepy and vibrant retirement town that is not KL. Feels a bit objectified saying it that way but I guess thats how i view it as someone growing up in KL.

Ask any malaysian if they had visited any museum in Malaysia and the answer would probabaly be since their childhood days during school excursions. These days I tend to visit the museum in Malaysia as a tourist and the feeling is still the same as before. A time burner for someone on a slow travel is great, but I would not recommend it as a must see museum. Sandakan Heritage Museum was such place but the more interesting piece of history would be the Agnes Keith House

Sandakan Heritage Museum 

Agnes Keith House

City of Sandakan

City of Sandakan

Stilt House Community in Sandakan

Stilt House Community in Sandakan

A Fishing Vilage to City - Sandakan

Needless to say, I spend a lot of time just riding around Sandakan to explore the city. Nearby is also the Sandakan memorial park at Jalan Lubuk. Is a pair from the memorial garden in Kundasang which marks a full route loop. Sandakan was a decent size city which after riding a few days it was time to head out for day trips.

Abandon Items from WWII - Sandakan War Memorial

Sandakan War Memoral at Jalan Lubuk

The first one was Lubuk Bay proboscis monkey sanctuary. It was actually a private palm oil plantation farm which way back when they private land owner cleared the land discovered there were a lot of Proboscis monkey in the area and decided to keep a portion of the land as a sanctuary instead of clearing it for palm oil plantation. These days the proceeds of ticket entrance goes to a few feeding session which is like a treat and not their main source of survivor food.

Riding Through Palm Oil Plantation at Lubuk Bay Proboscis Monkey Sanctuary

Entrance to Lubuk Bay Proboscis Monkey Sanctuary

Lubuk Bay Proboscis Monkey Sanctuary

Lubuk Bay Proboscis Monkey Sanctuary 

Proboscis Monkey at Lubuk Bay

The second day trip was to the Sun Bear conservation center which is also just a stone throw away from the Sepilok Orang Utan rehabilitation center. Always interesting to see these mystical creatures in their own element. A sad thing that they have to be in care since most of them are not captured in the wild but rather rescured from poachers

Sun Bear Conservation Center at Sepilok Forest Reserve

Sun Bear 

Can you spot a Sun Bear ? 

Orang Utan Rehabilitation Center at Sepilok 

I am Orang Utan ..... - Sepilok Forest Reserve

Traveled on : Sep 2019